CANNES, France, 13 March 2005 — Joost Posthuma of the Netherlands, riding for the Rabobank team, won the sixth stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race here yesterday. American Bobby Julich, riding for CSC, retained the overall lead, 19 seconds ahead of Spainard Constantino Zaballa, with one day of racing left.
“I enjoyed my best day since the start. The team was strong, and me as well. Everything passed off perfectly,” said Julich. “I know these roads well. I think I’ll keep the leader’s jersey until the end,” he said.
Posthuma, 24, completed the 184km course well ahead of seven other riders who had lunched a breakaway one hour into the race which started from La Crau.
Jorg Ludewig of Germany finished second, more than one minute off the Dutch rider, ahead of Australian Aaron Kemps. The main peloton arrived some four minutes down.
Posthuma described his stage win as a “dream”.
“The hardest bit was the bad bend on the final descent. I was mistaken in my trajectory. “Ludewig was just behind me but I preferred to go off alone. I knew that the wind was blowing favourably at the end of the course,” Posthuma said.
